German cockroach vs American cockroach: how to tell them apart

German cockroaches can trigger asthma and carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria, so they pose a health risk in homes and hospitals.

Source: NC State Entomology

American cockroaches can spread disease-causing bacteria to food and surfaces.

Source: Wikipedia, Penn State Extension

Adults have two parallel black stripes on the pronotum; nymphs are darker and oval.

Source: Wikipedia, NC State Entomology

Adults are about 1½ inches long, reddish-brown with yellow-edged thorax and full-length wings. Egg cases are brown, purse-shaped, and about 0.9 cm long.

Source: Penn State Extension, Oklahoma State Extension, Wikipedia

Adults measure about 1.1 to 1.6 cm in length.

Source: Wikipedia

It is the largest cockroach species commonly found in homes.

Source: Wikipedia

No sourced line yet.

At least 22 pathogenic microbes and five helminth species have been isolated from them.

Source: Wikipedia

It is the most common indoor cockroach and a major nuisance species. It produces asthma-triggering allergens and can spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Source: Wikipedia, NC State Entomology

They are common in restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and other food-handling areas, and can infest yards and alleys in summer. They enter homes via wastewater pipes, door gaps, air ducts, or other openings.

Source: Oklahoma State Extension, Wikipedia

They are common inside buildings, especially in food-handling places like restaurants and hospitals. They can survive outdoors but are rarely found in the wild.

Source: Wikipedia

They prefer warm, moist environments but can survive in dry areas if water is available.

Source: Wikipedia